Gary Handel FAIA is the Founding Partner and Managing Principal of Handel Architects. Since starting the practice in 1994, Mr. Handel has overseen its growth to a firm of over 160 architects, designers, and planners around the world. His designs have been recognized by the American Institute of Architects, the Urban Land Institute, the Society of American Registered Architects, and the Chicago Athenaeum, among others.

Mr. Handel leads the firm’s direction by placing an emphasis on enriching the urban environment. His work in Downtown Boston was recently awarded an AIA Honor Award in Urban Design from the AIA New York Chapter, and he continues to emphasize principles of positive urban design in all of the work he undertakes. He is a leader in sustainable building strategies, and recent work includes the largest and tallest building in the world built to international “Passive House” standards, designed for Cornell University’s new technology campus.

Mr. Handel has made significant pro bono contributions to local urbanism, including serving as a Founding Board Member of the Friends of the High Line, which honored him in 2014 for his contributions to this urban landmark, as well as a Board Member of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, which honored him in 2009 for his contributions to New York’s built environment.

Mr. Handel’s work has appeared in numerous publications including The Atlantic, Urban Land, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Miami Herald, San Francisco Chronicle, Progressive Architecture, Architectural Record, and Grid Magazine.